Congratulations to the MediSys Health Network’s Safety Excellence in Infection Prevention (SEIP) award winners.

The SEIP award recognizes employees who contribute to the success of infection control initiatives.

The criteria for the award are:

S: Surpasses above and beyond expected job role responsibilities as it relates to infection control.

E: Enforce actions that support infection prevention best practices.

I: I do the right thing, even when no one is looking.

P: Performs awesome acts of safety related to infection prevention.

We thank the following team members for leading by example and doing their part to reduce the risk of infection transmissions:

1. Kirk Comrie, RN- Assistant Head Nurse 5 North- Jamaica Hospital

2. Esmeralda Wills, RN- 4 North 1 -Flushing Hospital

The MediSys Health Network cultivates a culture of safety by prioritizing infection control and prevention. All employees have an important part to play in preventing the spread of infections, and everyone’s contribution to safety is highly valued.

Good Catch awardees receive recognition and a certificate of excellence based on their actions in preventing accidents from occurring. These actions may include keeping our facilities safe, correcting a medication order, preventing a patient from falling or reporting a significant change in a patient’s status.

Please join us in congratulating the following employees on their Good Catch:

1. Richard Calvo, HVAC Mechanic – Flushing Hospital
2. Shirley Samuel, PharmD – Flushing Hospital

By identifying a problem before it became a patient safety issue, our awardees have helped our hospitals provide patients with excellent care. We thank them for being exemplary team members and contributing to our goal of being a high-reliability network.

Monday, March 11^th marked the 25th anniversary of The MediSys Health Network assuming management control of Flushing Hospital Medical Center.

Flushing Hospital, founded in 1876, holds the distinction of being the first hospital in Queens. It has been serving the community for almost 150 years. However, in 1999, the hospital was facing financial difficulties and was at risk of shutting down. The MediSys Health Network was then called upon to take over and manage the hospital. By 2001, thanks to initiatives established by the network, Flushing Hospital emerged from bankruptcy and continues to serve the community today. 

To commemorate this occasion, MediSys President and CEO, Bruce J. Flanz provided a special presentation to the MediSys Board of Trustees and hospital leadership outlining many accomplishments over the past 25 years, including a timeline of events, service upgrades, statistics, and accolades.

The presentation noted accomplishments such as the development of a hospice unit, an ambulatory care center, a dental center, inpatient and outpatient mother/baby units, an emergency department, and upgrades to imaging services, to name a few.

Members of the audience were impressed as Mr. Flanz highlighted the many honors Flushing Hospital has received over the years, including receiving several awards by Healthgrades in areas such as Obstetrics and Gynecology, Stroke and Pulmonary care, and Gastrointestinal Surgery as well as being rated number one by Healthfirst for quality for the last several years.

After the presentation,  guests were given a tour of the facility to see all the campus improvements firsthand. Everyone in attendance agreed that it has been an impressive past 25 years for Flushing Hospital and all look forward to the next 25 years of success.

The CARE Award Program recognizes employees who receive positive written remarks from patients or their loved ones after receiving high-quality and compassionate care.

The criteria for the award are:

C: Compassion- Through listening, identifying patient vulnerabilities, and conveying empathy.

A: Advocacy-Ensure quality care is given and the safety of the patients and environment is maintained.

R: Respect-Greeting or speaking to others in a kind and respectful way.

E: Engagement-Make individuals feel valued, important, and recognized.

Please join us in congratulating:

1. Kenya Tavares – Jamaica Hospital

2. Dr. Payal Patel – Jamaica Hospital

3. Sandya Romelus, RN – Flushing Hospital

4. Rachael Viechweg, RN – Flushing Hospital

5. Patricia Spencer, CNA – Flushing Hospital

We thank our employees for their contributions to making our hospitals high-reliability facilities that focus on patient-centered care.

On Wednesday, March 6^th, members of MediSys Health Network’s leadership participated in the HANYS Health Care Advocacy Day meetings in Albany. These meetings aim to make our elected state lawmakers aware of the issues that affect New York hospitals.

Representatives from other healthcare facilities joined members of the MediSys contingency. Together, we shared our hospitals’ and health systems’ stories and championed legislative action to stabilize New York hospitals and health systems.

It is always the goal of these Healthcare Advocacy Days to inform our New York State lawmakers about the importance of protecting healthcare providers from harmful cuts in funding and New Yorker’s access to care.

Congratulations to the MediSys Health Network’s Safety Excellence in Infection Prevention (SEIP) award winners.

The SEIP award recognizes employees who contribute to the success of infection control initiatives.

The criteria for the award are:

S: Surpasses above and beyond expected job role responsibilities as it relates to infection control.

E: Enforce actions that support infection prevention best practices.

I: I do the right thing, even when no one is looking.

P: Performs awesome acts of safety related to infection prevention.

We thank the following team members for leading by example and doing their part to reduce the risk of infection transmissions:

1. Paul Pavese, Manager Lab Administration- Jamaica Hospital

2. Tracy Tompkins, Director of Food & Nutrition -Flushing Hospital

The MediSys Health Network cultivates a culture of safety by prioritizing infection control and prevention. All employees have an important part to play in preventing the spread of infections, and everyone’s contribution to safety is highly valued.

Flushing Hospital Medical Center recently celebrated 365 Days CAUTI free, an achievement that reflects the hospital’s commitment to patient safety and reducing the risk of hospital-acquired infections.

A CAUTI or catheter-associated urinary tract infection occurs when germs (usually bacteria) enter the urinary tract through the urinary catheter and cause infection in the bladder or kidneys. CAUTIs have been associated with increased morbidity, mortality, healthcare costs, and length of stay.

A urinary tract infection (UTI) is the most common type of healthcare-associated infection, Among UTIs acquired in the hospital, approximately 75% are associated with a urinary catheter.  Between 15-25% of hospitalized patients receive a urinary catheter during their hospital stay.  The most important risk factor for developing a catheter-associated UTI (CAUTI) is prolonged use of the urinary catheter.

Flushing Hospital has implemented an interdisciplinary evidence-based CAUTI prevention program including:

• Appropriate indwelling urinary catheter use by establishing guidelines for insertion/continuation and implementation of external urinary collection devices.
• Proper catheter insertion and maintenance bundles of care provided by nurses trained through simulated return demonstration.
• Prompt catheter removal includes a nurse-driven protocol that allows the bedside nurse to practice autonomously to remove urinary catheters based on approved guidelines.
• Standardized bladder scanning and straight catheterization protocols to prevent insertion of indwelling urinary catheters.
• Daily surveillance rounds by the Infection Preventionists to monitor adherence to bundles of care and provision of just-in-time training to the care team.
• In 2023, Infection Preventionist and Physician champion rounds were implemented to provide additional interdisciplinary collaboration and promote the removal of urinary catheters.

Achieving one year without a CAUTI is a remarkable accomplishment and speaks volumes about the effectiveness of our CAUTI prevention efforts. The success of these rounds, led by the Infection Preventionists and the Physician Champion, with the support of nurses, residents, and other healthcare team members, underscores the power of collaboration and evidence-based practices in improving patient outcomes.

We would like to especially acknowledge the following for their hard work in eliminating CAUTIs for the last year: Nursing Department, Residents, Physician champion; Dr. Akbar Khan, Infection Prevention & Control Department, Infectious Disease Physicians, Quality Department, and the Network Invasive Line Task Force.

Good Catch awardees receive recognition and a certificate of excellence based on their actions in preventing accidents from occurring. These actions may include keeping our facilities safe, correcting a medication order, preventing a patient from falling or reporting a significant change in a patient’s status.

Please join us in congratulating the following employees on their Good Catch:

1. Carmen Nicodinovicci, Vascular Tech – Jamaica Hospital
2. Diana Dutes, RN Ambulatory Surgery Unit – Jamaica Hospital
3. Dr. Yan Lin, DDS, Dental Resident- Flushing Hospital
4. Emma Kim, Dental Assistant – Flushing Hospital
5. Dennise Morel, Dental Assistant- Flushing Hospital
6. Susana Perez-Registrar-Flushing Hospital

By identifying a problem before it became a patient safety issue, our awardees have helped our hospitals provide patients with excellent care. We thank them for being exemplary team members and contributing to our goal of being a high-reliability network.

The CARE Award Program recognizes employees who receive positive written remarks from patients or their loved ones after receiving high-quality and compassionate care.

The criteria for the award are:

C: Compassion- Through listening, identifying patient vulnerabilities, and conveying empathy.

A: Advocacy-Ensure quality care is given and the safety of the patients and environment is maintained.

R: Respect-Greeting or speaking to others in a kind and respectful way.

E: Engagement-Make individuals feel valued, important, and recognized.

Please join us in congratulating:

1. Irina Khayumova, RN – Jamaica Hospital

2. Myrna Escario, RN – Jamaica Hospital

3. Lilibeth Rivas, RN – Jamaica Hospital

4. Svetlana Abdurakhmanova, RN – Jamaica Hospital

5. Margarete Hoffman, RN – Flushing Hospital

6. Portia Morris – Flushing Hospital

7. Tannisha Bridgett, RN-  Flushing Hospital

8. Mildred Zapanta, RN – Flushing Hospital

9. Jessica Bochynski, RN -Flushing Hospital

We thank our employees for their contributions to making our hospitals high-reliability facilities that focus on patient-centered care.

We are pleased to share that a Jamaica Hospital Medical Center surgical team has completed the first percutaneous AV fistula procedure in Queens.

The team led by vascular surgeon Dr. Mina Guerges utilized advanced imaging and minimally invasive techniques to achieve a successful outcome.

Percutaneous AV fistulas are performed on patients diagnosed with kidney disease or kidney failure, and require hemodialysis; a type of treatment that utilizes a dialyzer (a machine that cleans the blood).

Patients undergoing hemodialysis need safe and consistent vascular access points to complete their treatments. Traditionally,  access points are created surgically.  However,  a percutaneous AV fistula creates access using non-surgical techniques that offer several advantages  to patients including:

• Small incisions
• No scarring (patients are left with a small puncture site instead of a permanent scar common with surgery)
• Reduced lifestyle interruptions
• Shorter recovery times

Lastly, one of the most important benefits of a percutaneous AV fistula is the lowered risk of complications which can include infections and aneurysm formation.

Creating a percutaneous AV fistula requires the expertise of skillful physicians. During the procedure, vascular surgeons and radiologists utilize imaging to insert a needle and guide a tiny catheter device that helps pull the walls of a vein and artery together to create a fistula, then a special tool is used to finalize the connection and create the access point desired.

While there is no one-size-fits-all approach to creating a fistula for dialysis patients, physicians at Jamaica Hospital are proud to offer the latest technology and alternative options to common surgical procedures.

Jamaica Hospital was recently recognized for its superior outcomes in surgical care. In 2023, the hospital ranked number two in New York for surgical care according to a new analysis released by Healthgrades. The recognition serves as a testament to the hospital’s commitment to delivering advanced and high-quality healthcare to patients.